1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a kiosk that stores and displays several carpet cleaning machines for rental by customers. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a self-service kiosk that stores and displays carpet cleaning machines and has a control panel that is operable by a customer to conduct a rental transaction for one of the carpet cleaning machines, whereby the kiosk releases one of the carpet cleaning machines to the customer after the rental transaction is made.
2. General Background
Carpet cleaning machines have been available for renting from stores such as hardware stores and grocery stores for many years. Typically, a customer will enter the store and meet with personnel of the store to discuss renting a carpet cleaning machine. The customer and the store personnel typically exchange information regarding the period of time for which the carpet cleaning machine is desired to be rented, the cost for renting the carpet cleaning machine for that period of time, the identification information of the customer, the manner in which payment will be made for the rental and the payment for the rental. The customer will fill out a paper form documenting the rental transaction. The store personnel will then typically provide the customer with the rented carpet cleaning machine. The customer will then often select cleaning products to be used with the rented machine from the store shelves and purchase the products through the store cash register.
At the end of the rental period the customer then returns the carpet cleaning machine to the store and presents the returned machine to store personnel. The store personnel will then typically review the rental transaction made earlier to determine if the terms of the transaction have been complied with. The store personnel will then charge any additional fees if needed, for example if the rental period had extended beyond the rental period of the original transaction, and complete the rental transaction with the customer. The store personnel will then return the machine to a storage rack.